School-Based Youth Courts Student Perceptions of School Climate, Safety, and Disciplinary Measures

Youth courts, also called teen courts or student courts, handle cases involving young people referred by schools, parents, law enforcement, and other criminal justice agencies. Schools are
increasingly adopting youth courts to use in place of detention and suspension, diverting students who commit school infractions from standard punishment, using positive peer pressure to correct
negative behavior, and repairing the harm done through misbehavior, and teaching students about the justice process. Youth courts are typically peer-driven: teens serve as the judge, jury, bailiff, and advocates, though some models include an adult as the judge. Teens sent to justice-based youth courts are often first time misdemeanor offenders. In both juvenile justice and school settings, it is typical for those accused of misbehavior to admit guilt prior to the youth court referral so that the process does not involve a judgment of guilt or innocence. The role of the youth court then becomes determining an appropriate penalty or restitution.